Edwin Edwards Ahead in Poll; Sen. Landrieu Banned from Russia

EWE: Redemption or ridiculous? Regardless of how one feels about former Congressman and four-time Gov. Edwin Edwards, it must be admitted that there is still magic in that name. While a few praised and many decried his entry into the 6th Congressional District race at age 86, the first poll with Edwards included has produced some startling results, which makes the race very interesting.

The poll was conducted by and provided to the Fax-Net by Darrell Glascock, a seasoned veteran of local and national politics. It was first published in LaPolitics by John Maginnis. Here are the results: *Former Gov. Edwin Edwards – 43%. (Edwards is a Democrat.) *Republican state Sen. Dan Claitor – 20.3%. (He is a tax attorney from Baton Rouge.) *Republican Paul Dietzel II – 19.22%. (He is a Baton Rouge businessman and the grandson of famed LSU football Coach Paul Dietzel.) *Republican Craig McCulloch – 4.45%. (He is a Baton Rouge small business owner.) *Republican Garrett Graves – 4.03%. (He was Gov. Bobby Jindal’s point man on coastal restoration.) *Republican Cassie Felder – 3.9%. (She is a Baton Rouge tax attorney and the only woman in the race.) *Republican Charles “Trey” Thomas – 2.6%. (He is a Baton Rouge school teacher.) *Democrat Richard Dean Lieberman – 2.5%. (He is a LaPlace real estate broker.) The poll results indicate that Edwards will likely make the runoff, but winning there will be difficult. In hypothetical match-ups, Claitor leads Edwards 52-48%, and Graves leads Edwards 53-47%. Needless to say, it is an incredible show of support for Edwards at his age and after serving eight years in federal prison. About that age factor. Currently, there is one member of the U.S. House of Representatives who is 90, nine members who are in their 80s, and 32 in their 70s. In the U.S. Senate, two are in their 80s and 22 in their 70s. Edwards will probably be helped by a heavy turnout of Democratic voters supporting Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in her re-election bid. Or is it the other way around? Some analysts believe that Edwards got into the race to help Landrieu by drawing out more Democratic voters. But Edwards had a quick quip for that scenario, saying he gave some consideration to running against Landrieu for the Senate seat. Demographics of 6th Congressional District – There are 483,006 registered voters. Of that total, 74% are white, 22% are black, and 4% are other races. By party affiliation, 41% are Democrats. Of the Democrats, 55% are white, 42% are black, and 3% are other races. 33% are Republicans. Of the Republicans, 95% are white, 2% are black, and 3% other races. 27% of registrants are Other Parties. Of those, 77% are white, 15% are black, and 8% are other races.

Putin to Landrieu: ‘Nyet!’ Don’t expect Louisiana’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, to be taking a political junket to Russia anytime soon. Russian President Vladimir Putin has banned her from entering Russia. Louisiana and national publications have suggested that the sanction is due to her strong leadership for increased domestic energy production and exports. Currently, Western European countries get about 30% of their natural gas supplies from Russia, most of which travels in pipelines through Ukraine. Landrieu is holding hearings which focus on ways the U.S. can export natural gas to generate jobs and help its allies. She has also been an outspoken advocate for orphans in Russia, who Putin has used as political pawns in Russia’s 2013 adoption ban on American families adopting Russian children. “Being sanctioned by President Putin is a badge of honor,” Landrieu said. She added, “It will not stop me from using my power as chair of the Energy Committee to promote America as an energy superpower and help increase energy exports around the world.” Landrieu is not the only one in Putin’s cross-hairs. Also banned as a result of Washington’s sanctions over Russia’s invasion and capture of Crimea were: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J. and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Dan Coats (R-Ind.). Non-legislators banned included Ben Rhodes, a deputy U.S. national security adviser, and White House advisers Caroline Atkinson and Dan Pfeiffer. “We must minimize Russia’s influence over Europe, the former Soviet states – especially Ukraine that has fought so long for freedom – and our allies. And it will certainly not stop me from advocating for orphans in Russia and around the world,” Landrieu said.